Need is just a word
by masterlokiseverus159
Summary: A month has gone by since the war and Tony has never felt more alone. of course, with the unrest within the government, the disappearance of the Avengers and the obvious lack of Steve Rogers, it was only a matter of time before the UN finally flipped out and decided to act on the last available Avenger. Too bad they didn't realise a promise had been made.
1. Chapter 1

The phone was still there. He'd checked about three times in the last hour so he was pretty sure it was still there, right in the third draw of his desk he'd hidden it in. It was still there. Definitely.

It wouldn't hurt to check one more time though.

Screech. Tap.

Yup. Still there.

Staring at the outdated flip phone in his hand for the fourth time now in the hour was Tony Stark, the most exhausted and quite honestly, strung out human currently making amends with the government. Well making amends was kind of a nice way of saying he was trying to keep them from setting his compound on fire. Because they were that close to storming the place and demanding some answers. His voicemail was kind of being owned by Ross right now.

' this is General Ross, you are being called in for your statement by the UN in two weeks time.'

'Mr. Stark, it has been a week and you have not yet given correspondence as to whether or not you will be meeting with the UN to discuss recent events regarding Captain Rogers and the remaining avengers.'  
'Stark, you missed the meeting and the UN are filing a case for disregard of the law. This can be avoided if you simply disclose information. Where is the location of Captain Rogers and the avengers? We know you must have had some form of contact with him.'

The first message had come through three days after Tony had gotten the letter and phone from Steve. And the last message had come through five days ago so it had been twenty-two days since he'd been given the phone. And hadn't so much as turned it on. Instead, the moment he'd finished reading the letter, he'd grabbed it and chucked it into the nearest empty draw on his desk and wandered off to spend some time with Rhodey during physio. That same night he'd walked passed the desk and wandered up to his bed only to remember that the letter was still on his desk in plain sight. And come to think of it, so was the shield. And that phone was still in the draw.

Which was why, twenty-two days later, Tony was standing by the same desk that had been reinforced with steel alloy locks to prevent anyone from opening it without a his fingerprints.

As Tony placed the phone gently back into its designated compartment of the desk, he thought about the letter and what Steve had planned. He wouldn't have written that letter otherwise and he wouldn't have given him a phone which he could easily use to track him. Surely Steve knew that he could do it with just a phone call? He wouldn't even have to say anything, he could just ring it and wait for someone to pick up. It was so simple.  
And yet he hadn't.

Tony hadn't told Ross or the UN or any government body about it-he didn't dare after the stunt they pulled with prison cells for his team, his family. After that, he couldn't trust the government and neither could Rhodey or Vision since they also hadn't mentioned the phone to anyone. Although Rhodey did tend to call him Tony Stank nowadays. Thanks a lot post guy.

"You actually gonna use that at some point or are you just gonna stare at the steel for another month?"

Tony turned around and stood up when he heard the familiar voice and took a deep breath. He was greeted with a familiar face he hadn't seen in a month and for some reason, it made him smile slightly.

"You shouldn't be here Natasha."

The Black Widow smiled back at him calmly before walking up to him to face him. She looked well with all the things that had happened and Tony guessed she was probably enjoying her time with Clints family. That's where she said she'd gone after the whole mess. Probably because she thought Clint would go back there soon enough.  
Ignoring the pleased but confused look on his face, she put her hand on his cheek gently and looked at him carefully.

"Tony, how are you? Are you alright?"

That actually caught him off guard for a minute and his smile faded. Was he alright? How was he?

"Well...I miss people... but I'm fine, how are you? Kids still treating Aunt Tasha well? They dress up as black panther for a birthday party yet?" His earlier genuine smile had somehow molded into a fake PR one that actually felt so brittle he was worried it would break right there and then. He couldn't afford to have another breakdown here. He'd already had enough of those to last a lifetime and besides, Natasha was concerned about him. That had to mean something.

Natasha however wasn't looking very pleased at all. She just sort of glared hard at him and dropped her hand from his face before pointing at the draw behind him.

"Why haven't you used it yet?"

"Used what?"

"The phone that Steve sent you. You could at least check it works."

His hands shook as he clenched them and his heart skipped a beat. A rush of fear shot through him before he calmed down and remembered. This was Nat, his friend who was on his side more or less. It was okay if she knew about the phone as long as no one else did.

"How do you know about-"

"All of us know about it. Steve told us to make sure it was delivered to you. And make sure you kept it with you." she sighed as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Why would he do that? And why me?" His eyes widened slightly with surprise and despite everything he had been telling himself he had that compulsion to pick up the phone and call Steve again. Why him? And why did he tell all the Avengers? And why did he say to keep it with him?

"If you want to know, call him at some point. But I think you should head to bed before anything else. You may say you're fine but believe me Tony, you're looking way too run down. I'm pretty sure that's not what Steve wants."

"Who care what he wants. It's not like he actually cares." He breathed out and turned to face the desk but not before a hand grasped his shoulder making him face Natasha's gaze, eyes piercing .

"You should really call him. Tony."

The engineer blinked once before nodding slowly. There was something wrong that she wasn't telling him. He could see it in the way she was staring at him. Like her eyes were glued to him.

"Natasha? Is everything okay?"

She didn't say anything for a moment but then seemed to consider the statement.

"Yes everything's okay. Just call him Tony."

When he watched her take the lift down to Rhodeys floor, he thought about her visit. Why would Natasha visit him now after a month just to tell him about the phone? It didn't make sense.  
Something about Natasha's expression worried him. Was it just him or did she look scared?  
He wasn't sure how he felt about that and decided it didn't matter then anyway. He's probably forget in a few days and continue to bounce between government agencies, his best friend's medical treatment and an android that spent most of his time distracted.

"Lights out Friday."

"Yes boss."

* * *

It took three whole days before Tony finally broke and turned on the phone. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Nat's visit and couldn't help the growing feeling of fear. Natasha had looked worried and that usually meant someone was in trouble and Tony didn't want to even consider Steve and the others being captured again. No, he had to make sure they were okay.

Taking a deep breath and loosening his grip on the keypad, he went into the contacts of the phone and found one solitary number with the name 'Nomad'. Obviously Steve's attempt at being subtle which made Tony want to laugh. What kind of alias was that?  
He pressed call and held the outdated block to his ear, waiting for an answer.

A few rings and there was a click, then Tony could hear breathing on the other end. He swallowed and tried to ignore the horrible feeling of sweat trailing down the back of his neck. He shivered. He really needed a haircut.

"S-Steve?"

There was a sharp intake of breath and then-

"Tony."

For some reason, he could feel his eyes start to sting. He thought he was over this, he thought he had accepted everything with Steve and James and his mo-  
A sob escaped despite his trying to not show it and before he knew it, tears were flooding his eyes and he gasped. He just wanted-

"Tony? Tony, are you there?"

It was more than he could take, more than he deserved. He wanted to be by Steve's side again, along with the others. He wanted that back, even if just for a short while, surely he'd tried hard enough to keep things together? But Steve had left him behind with a letter and an old piece of technology.  
He'd been left behind because no one wanted him. And wasn't that usually how it was with him? First his parents, then Stane, then Pepper and the Avengers and finally Steve who didn't care what happened to him-

"Tony, for gods sake say something or else I'll-!"

He felt so so tired. All of a sudden it actually didn't matter. What difference did it make what he did in the end? He'd lost everything and cost his best friend his legs in the process. He'd torn everyone apart. He should've just agreed with Steve-

"-I don't know, he's not listening to me but I can hear him-"

Clearing his throat lightly, he spoke as if on autopilot. He felt numb as he blinked and stared at the window, trying to picture what Steve may have been looking at wherever he was.

"I'm sorry for everything Steve..."

That actually stopped all the chatter on the other side.

"Tony no, it wasn't your fault-I should have told you. I shouldn't have kept it from you. Don't blame yourself, just-just relax okay? Sleep. Get some shut eye."

"Yeah. Okay." He didn't know why but he felt so tired. Maybe he just didn't want to deal with it all anymore. He needed to sleep. What time was it?

"Tony? Did you hear me?" For some reason, the captain sounded worried.

"Yeah Steve." This was a bad idea. He shouldn't have called.

There was a brief silence as Tony went into his room and got changed into a black tank top and sweatpants and eventually just sunk onto the covers not bothering to get under them. The phone lay beside him and he picked it back up.

"Tony? Are you still there?"

"Yeah. It's me."

"I'm glad you called me. I was getting worried."

For some reason that didn't make sense to him. He scrunched his eyes tight and waited for the lights to go dim in his room, curling up on his bed.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

"I left you with a phone for a month and until now, you haven't contacted me. Forgive me if I was a little concerned."

"I'm fine."

"The more you say that the more worried I get, you know that?"

"Sorry."

"Okay stop apologising. You've done nothing wrong."

"...Okay."

There was another awkward silence of just breathing being heard before Steve sighed and shifted.

"Tony, what do you need?"

Need? It was such an awful word. It made him feel like a burden. An extra set of problems no one wanted. Actually Tony wasn't quite sure why he had bothered calling in the first place now. If it hadn't been for Natasha he probably wouldn't have.

"Natasha told me to call. She said I should."

There was a slight rustling on the other end before Steve spoke quietly.

"You-I-yeah. She was right. I'm glad you did. Really glad. Actually I want you to do something for me."

Tony would be lying if he said this conversation made sense. Why had he even called? Steve was probably busy anyway and just because he missed Steve and his friends, didn't mean he had the right to intrude like this. He-

"I want you to carry this phone with you wherever you go. At least until this whole mess is sorted out."

Despite trying to not care, that still made Tony curious.

"Wh-what would be the point in that?"

There was a faint muttering from Steve's end again. "Just do this for me. I want you to. Don't you want to talk?"

"Uhm yeah. Sure why not."

He would have imaged Steve nodding in that moment before answering."Good. That's... Yeah just make sure...you know what, call me as soon as you can tomorrow okay? Get some sleep and then we'll talk. How's that sound?"

Even though he didn't have a reason to, Tony still smiled a little. He could almost pretend Steve wanted to talk to him and wasn't doing this out of pity. Could almost pretend nothing was wrong.

"Yes. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Tony."

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, he was very confused. For one thing, he'd called Steve yesterday and hardly been able to string a full sentence together which sucked. And the other thing, was that calling Steve again was on the agenda. Great.

"Friday, what are Rhodey and Vision doing?"

"They are currently in the kitchen eating breakfast if you'd like to join them."

"Thanks Friday."

Tony quickly got ready and made his way there, trying desperately to ignore his conversation from yesterday. He'd not planned to do that so why had he? Yes he'd been exhausted but still...

"Hey Tones. You alright?" His best friend watched him carefully as he sat down opposite him on the sofa. The same sofa the whole team had sat on when they'd all first listened to Ross about the accords. That was back then. Before.

"Tony?"

He shook his head slightly and smirked. "Morning hey! How was it with Nat yesterday? She say anything important?"

Rhodey sighed and leaned back and both men listened to the sound of Vision cooking some breakfast in the background. Tony felt like stopping him, it wasn't like anyone actually felt hungry these days.

"I thought it was strange that Nat turned up here. Why now, after a month would she suddenly appear?" Rhodey said. Vision floated across, gently laying down several plates of toast, eggs and bacon before drifting back to the kitchen. There was also some orange juice. Of course. They didn't want to die of scurvy did they?

"I don't know. But she knows about the phone."

He tried not to think about the current added weight in his pocket. He was just keeping it till he put it back in the desk.  
Rhodey raised an eyebrow as he scooped up some eggs into a plate. "That's actually not that surprising. Of course she'd know. Did she tell you to use it?"

"Yes. She...Vision, what is that?" Both men stared at the red curry splodge on the plate in Visions hand. Tony could swear he could see the red bleeding out of it from where he was sat.

"It's a paprika based dish." The android for some reason, looked very ashamed. "It's actually paprika this time."

"Wanda..." Rhodey whispered as he took the plate and gently set it down. Tony's eyes followed the dish and stared for a moment. Sometimes he forgot that even the tiniest things were a reminder. No, actually that was wrong, he never forgot. He only closed his eyes to it mostly, turned a blind eye. But he wasn't the only one damaged from this entire war.

Abruptly, he stood up, holding his hands behind him, to hide the shaking. "I'm going to my room. I need to sort something out." He barely waited for a reply and quickly turned towards the door, away from two more people he'd hurt with his ignorance.

"Tony..."

"I'll see you later." He left ignoring the near-silent "Sir." and headed to his room. A crushing disappointment came over him. The morning had ended just like every other one. He'd turned his back on his friends. Why couldn't he do better?

He sighed shakily and dropped onto the floor, huddled and back pressed against the wall. Desperately fighting back a sob, he buried his head in his arms and cried silently for a good half an hour. This horrible, overwhelming feeling of resentment, hatred and desperation. All three directed at himself, haunting him and no matter what he did, he always seemed to end up alone and crying at his mistakes. The world really was better off without him-

A sharp ring, tore through his thoughts and he jolted at the sound. No, not just a ring-vibrations. The phone. Tony swallowed carefully and shoved his hand down his pocket to grab the phone. Why now? He just couldn't deal with it right now!

His hand tense, he flipped open the phone and snarled. "What!?"

"...is this a bad time?"

It was Steve. Of course it was him. Because he gave him the fucking phone.

"Yes it is. What do you want?"

"I was worried about you yesterday. You hadn't called back yet and you didn't sound okay so I just wanted to see how you were doing."

That actually made Tony laugh for a moment which then turned into hysterical giggling. He actually sounded concerned, what a joke! "Well, that's really sweet Steve. Thanks for checking in!" He laughed down the phone, pulling his knees closer to his chest and ignoring the increasing sting in his eyes. Everything hurt but this was kind of funny, hell it was the funniest thing he'd heard in weeks.

"Are you alone right now?"

No. Obviously not, he had his family with him right? "No Steve, of course not." For some reason the hint of sarcasm in his voice made him laugh harder. God he probably sounded crazy but who cared? Who. Cared?

"Tony, where's Rhodey? I want you to find him and-"

"FUCK YOU STEVE! I DONT NEED YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

And there. There it was. The fear, the hate, the bitter loneliness finally lashing out at the cause of it all. Steve had left him. His teammate, his Friend, the man he would've trusted with his life had walked away and taken his family and friends with him. And left him to pretty much die.

The silence on the other end of the phone was almost painful to listen to.

"...I'm so sorry, Tony. "And the phone cut off.

Why couldn't he have just taken him with him? Or better yet, actually killed him that day?  
He dropped the phone and went back to tucking himself away from the world. There wasn't any point anymore. He was reaching his breaking point and now even Steve had nothing to say to him.

He'd stopped laughing. Now there were just silent tears on his cheeks.

* * *

"Boss, general Ross is in the foyer. He is requesting your presence."

Tony looked up from the tablet in his hand and closed his eyes, trying to fight off the headache. It had been another week since his breakdown in his room. In that time, he'd made some mild improvements to the prosthetics for Rhodey, built up schematics for a new suit, made a new retractable bow and had developed a newer, more concealable widow bite to go around the wrists and ankles. He'd locked up the phone and had tried to ignore it since then.

Sighing, he pushed himself away from his desk and made his way down. As he stepped out of the lift towards the general, a brief idea came to him for some falcon wings. Maybe if he worked on the retractability of the corner joints, he could-

"Stark. It's been weeks since we last spoke. Why have you been ignoring the calls?"

General Ross stood in front of him, posture tall and demanding. Behind him were five guards all decked in black and holding different sized guns that seemed way too excessive for Tony. What did the guy think would happen, that he'd need some guards to follow him around?

"I've been busy. Sir." Tony tried to hide his grimace. Respect for authority never came easily to him.

"You have blatantly ignored the UN's summons, not to mention, you have done nothing to aid the search for the hostiles. And especially that criminal Rogers." Ross was frowning at him now. But seriously, hostiles? That was his team he was insulting, war or not. And Steve was _not_ a criminal.

Standing his ground, the engineer squared his shoulders and before he could stop himself, shot back. "Don't call them that. The Avengers have never been anything less than heroes and Steve was never a criminal ever."

Shit. Shit shit shit. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut? He was already treading dangerously as it was.

"Mr. Stark, am I to believe you have been compromised?" Then Ross' eyes narrowed at him, studying him closely and he took a step closer to the genius.  
"Have you been in contact with Steve Rogers in this time?"

Tony was excellent at lying. He always had been because he knew how to clamp down any emotions. But for some reason a terrible feeling of fear welled up inside him and the urge to check that the phone, letter and shield was still in place was nearly overwhelming. He felt like he was gonna be sick and he could feel himself sweating.

"No. Of course not, why would he talk to me? He hates me remember?"

That phone was still in that locked compartment. But if they started searching they could notice-

"Captain Rogers may have pushed back when it came to the accords Mr. Stark, but don't try and kid me into believing he doesn't care about you. It would not surprise me to find out he has attempted to contact you."

Tony swallowed carefully and raised his hands, giving his best unimpressed look. "Really? You clearly don't have a clue about Rogers at all do you? He doesn't want anything to do with me and I think he's made it pretty clear."

There was a pause in the conversation where Tony just stared back at Ross as if almost daring him to disagree. He just hoped Ross couldn't hear his heart pounding in his chest right now. Eventually the general stepped back but spoke.

"Very well. If the captain has not made contact then there is not much to be said. But if we find that you have had _any_ hand in assisting Rogers, do not doubt that we will come for you first Stark."

Ross strode out, his guards following behind in and trail and Tony wanted to lie down. That had been far more stressful than usual but Ross wasn't joking. That was a warning and next time, it would be an arrest.

* * *

"So you're saying Ross just threatened you?"

"Yup."

"And you're not gonna do anything?"

Rhodey spoke as he carefully made his way through the physio exercise. Tony stood on alert at all times, ready to catch Rhodey if he fell. Because he was clearly better at catching Rhodey than anyone else.  
Because he was the worst fucking person in the world that he'd let Rhodey get hurt when he himself was still standing just fine. That he'd failed to catch Rhodey when he needed to.

"I'm not going to do anything."

His friend paused and stared up at him. "Tony, you have to at least come up with a backup plan. They seem pretty serious about this. What if they arrest you?"

He shrugged. Wasn't that an idea? "If they do, it'll be for good reasons."

"Really? Because from where I'm standing it looks like you're just too busy blaming yourself to actually defend yourself. How many times do I have to tell you, this isn't your fault!"

Rhodey was trembling with exertion from the workout but he kept going. Sometimes Tony wished he had that level of determination. That he could just pick himself up and keep going.

"Rhodey, just don't."

"Tony-"

"Please." He ducked his head and whispered alost hearing Rhodeys heart break at seeing his best friend beg. This wasn't like him, he knew that. He was behaving like someone who had been abandoned and blamed themselves for being left behind. He was breaking apart and Rhodey could see it.

"You need to tell Steve what's happening with you and Ross."

Tony shook his head, adamant and crossed his arms. "He doesn't need to know."

"He wouldn't want you to be hurt for his decisions Tony."

"He doesn't need to hear it."

"I can't help you Tony, but he can!"

"Don't you see! It's my fault you can't help me! It's all my fault!" Rhodey watched in horror as tears started to well up and fall down Tony's cheeks. He'd known Tony had been crying, whenever he came out of his room and his eyes were red, it was obvious. Rhodey had to be able to tell. But Tony had always been careful to hide when it actually happened. Rhodey didn't need to see this.

"Hey it's not your fault."

The Iron Avenger swiped angrily at his cheeks and stepped back.

"You're nearly done with this session. I'll send Vision down."

He turned and ran far from Rhodey who just watched with his own tears.

He'd never wished so hard for his legs to work if only just to be able to chase after his friend.

* * *

The next few nights were hard for Tony, who slept in and out due to nightmares. Sometimes they were about Rhodey and the team. Other times, they were about his mother and the winter soldier. He didn't dream about Steve anymore.

Today was yet another day of modifications. More suit fabrications, more armour for Natasha and Wanda and a new comm for Scott Lang.  
Finally, after a full day in the lab, he took a short break to get some water. As he walked towards the kitchen, he mistimed a step and knocked into the desk.

"Ow!" He rubbed at his knee and turned, remembering something he'd desperately been trying to forget.  
He knew how this went. He'd stand there for ten minutes, staring at the desk and then the door and then he'd open the draw and pull out that piece of shit he called a phone when he knew no one would walk in.  
"Shit." He cursed and decided to save time and pull out the phone straight away. Untouched and cool in his hand, he held it there before Friday spoke.

"Boss, it appears there's been a breach to the complex from the rear entrance."

"Do we have visual? Can you give me the exact coodinates?"

"Boss there's-"

Silence.

"Friday? Hey!?" The lights went out and the entire place darkened within seconds. The only light was an orange evening glow coming from one of the windows in the other room.  
Cursing, he ran past the corridors to the stairs. Without power, the lifts wouldn't work so he had to take the stairs down and make his way round to the armoury. But the route would probably mean an encounter with the burglar.

Activating his watch, he pulled the wrist piece of armour around his hand and felt it click into place. At least he had some way of defending himself till he got to the armour and rebooted Friday.

Wait, what was he gonna do about Rhodey and Vision? Suddenly he remembered Rhodey mentioning he wanted to go to the nearest coast for the day since he'd been making good process with his prosthetics and Vision would accompany him since no civilians lived in this area.  
But that meant he was alone in the entire facility. He had to be careful.

As he reached the ground floor and continued to run past several bedroom doors (he knew who's but didn't have time to think), he heard a soft snick and paused. There were footsteps headed his way. He pressed himself up against the wall and slowly made him way into the dark room next to him, easing the door closed behind him. When he turned, he felt the urge to groan. Wanda's room didn't really have much for coverage but at least the wardrobe was there. But was he really gonna hide in his teammates _clothes_?

"He's here somewhere. I heard him." Without hesitation he slid into the open wardrobe and closed it, immersing himself into the darkness and fabric. There were at least five people out there based on footsteps and they were onto him. Maybe if he'd locked the door that would've been better? But would these people start going through the Avengers bedrooms? He could understand them taking out Friday to steal something but going into these rooms would be counterproductive unless they were looking for something specific.

The door to the room opened and he covered his mouth with both hands, holding his breath. Three of the assailants walked in and he could hear guns clicking. Armed. Great.

"He's here, I heard him. Start emptying the room."

Shit shit shit! What was he gonna do? He was outnumbered and they were looking for him. What could he-

The phone! He'd stuffed it into his pocket when the power went out.

He pulled it out with as little sound as he could and flipped it open. Just as he was about to press call on the number, the wardrobe door was wrenched open and light flooded in, exposing him to the three men. They grabbed him by his wrists and squeezed hard, making him drop the phone but also fire his repulser at them, sending two flying back but not the third. He'd ducked in time and kicked underneath Tony when he jumped out of the wardrobe, sending him to the floor. Tony rolled over, onto his back and fired at the man who was pointing some kind of gun at him. The guy fell back, giving Tony just enough time to scramble to his feet and spin towards the door. The three were down and he bolted past them and ran back out into the corridor. He turned left and kept running, blood roaring in his ears.

He'd dropped the phone when he needed to keep it with him. God he was such an idiot, what was he doing!?

"He's there! Get him!"

He could hear footsteps behind him and turned another corner. They had clearly studied the place beforehand since they didn't slow down at all when he made sharp turns. It was like they expected it. Then he noticed more footsteps and realised he was heading towards more of these guys. Who were they? Why were they after him?

He held his hand out and fired again and again, trying to hit them all in front. It seemed to work when he cleared passed the fallen bodies until he heard a gun trigger behind him and felt something hit his neck.  
Despite trying not to, he staggered and tried to press down on his neck and feel the damage, still running. Had he been shot? But there was no blood and what he felt instead was some kind of needle.

All of a sudden his body felt slow and sluggish and a strange lightheaded sensation hit him. He didn't fully process his slowing down to a walk, until hands came around him and covered his mouth and grabbed his hands. Before he knew it, his hands were cuffed behind his back and something was slipped around his neck. The needle was pulled out and that something was clipped around his neck and he tried to pull away but something wasn't right. The man behind him held him by his waist and Tony could actually feel his body give in.

Things blurred into grey for a moment and then everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

When he came to slowly, he felt two things. One, that his hands were still bound tight behind his back and that collar was still around his neck and two, the man behind him was still gripping him by his waist and holding him up. He jerked and tried to pull away but was held back.

"Sir, he's awake."

Sir? Tony blinked away the horrible lightheaded feeling and took in the situation. The five guards were standing around him in a circle, which himself being held up by one, and he'd been moved from the ground floor with the bedrooms to back up here in the room with his desk. The place was still dark and judging by the red-purple outdoor light from the window, it hadn't been that long since he'd been caught.  
Thankfully he hadn't been stripped of anything, he was still left in his black tank top and sweatpants. Except the phone was missing from his pockets. Still missing and probably back in Wanda's room.  
He struggled and tried to pull away but the bigger man still held him in firmly in place, his arms constricting.

"Hey, do you mind letting me go!?"

"I would stand down Mr. Stark."

"Let me go!"

"That's enough. I warned you."

That voice made him pause and he watched the guards around him step back to let general Ross walk up to him. The guard holding him tightened his grip on his waist, hard enough to leave bruises and Tony winced and looked up at Ross. The man stood there, looking every bit as disgusting as a politician in his formal attire and with his shoulders held back, arms behind his back. It was the same posture a man had when they thought they were justified. Tony had seen it enough in his father, in many men. Eventually Steve too.

"Didn't I warn you ? That if you were found to be siding with the criminal in any way, I'd arrest you myself?"

Tony lifted his eyes up further to glare directly at the sick bastard. "I haven't done anything wrong."

Ross made a small sound of disagreement before he snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, two guards showed up, one holding the shield, the other holding a piece of paper.

 _No, that meant they'd opened the desk with his fingerprints while he was unconscious. Then that meant they could know about the phone too. Shit._

"Stark, you explicitly told us Rogers had _not_ made contact with you. I believe a note stating he will be there when you need him as well as owning his shield proves otherwise."

"I haven't spoken to him directly, I got that shield when I fought with him. And the letter is obviously just a way to convince me to forgive him. Which I haven't." At least there was some semblence of the truth in there. Or maybe even that was a lie..

Ross, raised an eyebrow at him and frowned slightly, looking grim. It was like the man was a sphinx, no expression going on at all. "Really? So that phone of yours wasn't a way to call him?"

Tony's heart stopped.  
 _Oh god, please..._

"I don't know what you're talking about. That's Peppers number for her spare phone." He knew he wasn't sounding nearly as convincing as he did a second ago. But he had to try otherwise...

"Well then I suppose you don't mind me calling the number myself to see who picks up?" Tony watched in horror as the man pulled out the phone from his own pocket and held it up.

He was screwed unless he could convince him it really was Pepper...

Ross pressed down on the single number in the contacts and held to his own ear.

The room was so silent, Tony could hear the rings from where he was held. Finally the click of someone picking up and then a pause.

In that moment, Tony wasn't sure what came over him but he knew that he just didn't want Ross to hear anything from that phone at all. He had to keep the illusion that it wasn't Steve's number going. Then they wouldn't use the phone against Steve and there would be no proof it actually was Steve.

"Pepper! Don't say a word, seriously not a word! I know I screwed up and-!"

"Shut him up." While covering the phone with one hand, Ross ordered the guard holding the avenger who covered Tonys mouth roughly, effectively silencing him. He tried to struggle out of the grip and say something, _anything_ but the man held him still and quiet. He'd never felt more frustrated.

"Hello? Steve Rogers?" Ross cleared his throat and tried but the phone remained stubbornly silent.

"Steve, are you there?"

There was silence and nothing else. Behind the man's hand, Tony smiled and slowed down his struggling. Steve wasn't going to say anything unless he was sure it was him. And now he had doubts.

"Rogers. Answer me." Ross was getting frustrated, Tony could see it and he almost wondered if Steve would answer just to find out what was going on but eventually the line clicked and the phone cut off. The whole thing just seemed to anger Ross even more given the stormy expression. The billionaire couldn't imagine the man smiling at this point.

"Stark!" He walked over to his captive and grasped his hair. He pulled it back, exposing his neck and held the phone to Tony's ear.

"You will ask for Steve Rogers or I will make this process far worse for you and your team, including that friend who's life you destroyed."

Tony looked up and felt Ross drill his gaze into him feeling helpless. What would he do if they hurt Rhodey? But he couldn't risk exposing Steve either. He felt the man press the phone to his ear and call the number again.  
Two clicks and the phone picked up. Rhodey was safe with Vision who's only weakness was Wanda.

Tony closed his eyes and prayed he wasn't making the wrong choice.

"...Pepper? Hello?"

The line was still silent, but then Ross yanked his head back harder and the man behind him wrapped a hand around him neck. He pressed down hard around the collar and Tony struggled to escape the grip, this time thrashing with everything ounce of strength he had. The grasp reminded him too much up of Afghanistan even though years had passed. He couldn't breathe! He **couldn't** breathe-!

"Ask. For Steve Rogers." Ross whispered into his ear and the man let go, still keeping the hand around his neck as a reminder. He felt so dizzy...

"Stark. Do it now."

"...S-Steve...are you there?"

His throat burned and he felt sick. He hated that he was so weak to give in like this. But hopefully Steve wouldn't answer. He'd know this was a set up by now and keep it hidden. He definitely wouldn't answer Tony now, of course not, even though-

The line clicked shut again, not a word uttered from the other side. Tony could practically feel the heat of Ross' gaze, the man having stepped back and looking marginally surprised now.

"Stark. You will suffer for this and we will find him-" Tony blocked out the rest of the order and focused on the phone in Ross' hand. In his mind he knew Ross was losing it more than he should have but it didn't matter.

Steve hadn't answered. Even when he said he'd be there when he needed him...

What was he thinking? Steve couldn't risk himself and the others for Tony's sake. He was just another casualty of war that you wouldn't risk your key players for-he knew that.  
So why did he feel like something had just broken inside? Why couldn't he shake the feeling that Steve had almost, by not answering, chosen to abandon him?

The answer was there and until now, Tony had always chosen to ignore it. But it was so so obvious, the words on the letter, patronizing and meaningless and the way he did speak on the phone to Tony that night.

 _Because it confirmed that he doesn't care. Never did._

"Stark. You will be taken to the prison and be held there till you are ready to cooperate. But until then, we will other uses for you. And this-" he gestured at the phone. "We'll try again later." Tony watched him pocket the phone and take the letter, a low sinking feeling in his stomach descending and settling there like a permanent weight.

"Start him on the course. Give him the first dose and bring him up and make sure no one sees you." Ross nodded to the guards and one pulled out a thin syringe with a pink liquid and stepped towards him. He kicked his feet back and tried to twist out of the grip, but the hand on his throat closed and squeezed, cutting of his air again . As he struggled and tried to gasp, he felt something pinch his arm and then a rush of cold travel up his limb and down his body.

"That's the first dose. We can start administering as soon as we get there."Tony shivered and gasped as the man removed the syringe, going limp in the arms of the man behind him.

Everything hurt and his body ached, his vision doubling. For once he felt truly terrified. What was happening and what the hell did Ross just give him!? They had just given him something that felt so wrong and made him want to vomit. Were they going to kill him? It was definitely the not knowing that almost felt worse.  
He put up no fight when the guy threw him over his shoulder and carried him out of the facility. It was too late and he was done.

* * *

Everything was moving. Everything. Nothing could keep still.

What was happening? Where was he? Everything hurt so much, he just wanted to go home...

"He's responding well to the Beta serum. But he's severely underweight. And the fever, watch out for that."

"Yes but do you think we can give him the next dose?"

A sigh. "He needs to wake up. He's barely conscious as it is, you can't strain him too much. Besides, the chances of the serum working is slim enough as it is. Don't reduce the chances further."

"Fine. Notify me when he wakes." A hiss, the sound of glass doors shutting.

"Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? You're at the Raft. Prison cell number two. You're being given mild doses of a modified serum but you will be fine."

Fine? He'd never been fine in his entire life but even he could tell this was **not** fine. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't open his eyes. His body felt heavy and slow and he could barely register anything. But he was in prison? Oh, and he was a criminal now and they were experimenting on him.

Great.

Fuck.

* * *

He wasn't sure what happened after that but he must have drifted to sleep because now he could feel the bright lights of the room on his eyelids. Slowly he opened his eyes and stared. Nothing was moving anymore which was good and that sense of vertigo was gone. Carefully he turned his head to the side and tried to assess the area.

He was on a bed by the wall and, other than a separate compartment for a toilet, there wasn't much. When he sat up, he noticed the glass and bars facing the interior of a room. Something cold settled in his stomach again and he held back the urge to back into a corner.

He knew exactly where he was. Specifically, when he'd last seen this place.

He was in Falcons prison cell on the raft and by the looks of it, he was the only one here in the entire room. Carefully he stood up and looked past the bars and the glass. There, in the centre of the circular room was the control panel designed to let the prisoners out. The only thing was it needed specific key cards and fingerprints that he didn't have. Well, his other options meant he needed something as strong as Vibranium to break the adamantium reinforced bars, but obviously that couldn't happen.

Sighing, he sank back on the bed and rubbed his head to ease a growing headache, leaning back against the wall. He didn't feel so good after what they'd injected him with. He still felt lightheaded and a bit faint from what could be lack of food and water in the last, god knows how many hours. And he felt so cold. They hadn't provided more than a mattress and they'd changed him into the blue tracking shirt that was put on all criminals who got put in here. And they still had a collar on him, though no cuffs.

Suddenly the main entrance to the room opened and in walked Ross followed by two men in black complete with full face covering masks. Both men were ridiculously well built and would do a fantastic job with torture, he thought. He couldn't suppress the tremor that ran up his shoulders as he eyed both men warily. They seemed to stare back, their bodies fixed on his every move.

"Tony Stark. How do you like your new quarters?"

He was pretty sure that months ago he would've given a snarky reply like 'oh it's great considering it's all you can afford' but here and now, about a month after the war, he wasn't up for a fight. He was scared and tired and didn't have the strength to fight anymore. He figured that eventually the weird serum shit they were giving him was going to kill him anyway so it didn't matter. Once he was dead all his problems would be over, so he then decided he'd make it easier for them and hence himself.

He didn't want to be tortured before he was drugged. Ideally he didn't want to be drugged either but he didn't dare ask for anything nowadays. Hope was dangerous.

"What do you want from me?" He said tiredly and lowered his eyes when Ross' lips twitched at the sight of his obvious weakness. Another shiver ran down his spine.

"I want to give you another chance before I am forced to do something I ideally didn't want to use you for." He pressed a button on the control panel and the glass slid away, leaving only the bars. He walked close to the bars and tossed something into the cell. The phone rattled loudly and landed at Tony's feet by the bed and he desperately tried not to scream and run. He didn't want a reminder of Steve giving up on him.

"Call Steve Rogers. If he confesses to knowing the location of the Winter Soldier as well as giving his current location, we will stop administering the experimental serum on you. And I will have you know, it only becomes more painful. You're on your second dose right now and once you take the third, there will be no going back. And as of yet, none of our test subjects have survived."

As he listened, he bent down and picked up the phone. Something called out to him in the back of his mind as he processed this. If Bruce was around, he'd remind him that any experimental drug trials on criminals were still illegal even if they were criminals. Maybe If Natasha was stood where he was, she'd toss the phone away and tell Ross to go to hell for even trying to pull a stunt like this behind the government's back. And that she'd expose him.

Unless, of course, the government was funding the research for this serum and somehow he'd been granted a loophole to jump through as long as the subject was an enemy of the state. He was Secretary of the State and he could easily pull this off, he had the authority.

But all Tony could think of was how unimportant it all was. If Ross was doing this and no one had stopped him yet, no one would stop him at all. Which meant Tony was now here for Ross to use as a human test subject until he eventually gave in to demands or died in the process.

Bruce had told him everything about Thaddeus Ross once and how he wanted to perfect a super solder serum but ended up essentially creating the Hulk. Maybe that was why he was so keen to hunt down Barnes and Steve.

Not that it mattered, all he had now was Tony Stark. Hardly a threat and pretty much worthless.

Who was standing still and frozen at the sight of the phone again. _Get it together Stark._

"I will not ask again Stark. There is no getting out of this, I am the Secretary of State. No one will stop me from doing what needs to be done."  
He could see Ross, standing firm and rigid with a stoic expression beyond the bars from the corner of his eye. It was actually in that moment that Tony realised exactly how cruel this man was.

"You had this going while the war was going on? For me and the Avengers in general? Or just Steve and James?" He still hadn't shifted his gaze from the phone in his hand but he didn't need to. He could almost feel the smug oozing off the man. For a long moment Ross didn't say anything before finally he coughed lightly and stepped forward.

"You misunderstand if you think this is about you and your team. This is about every United States citizen having a right to safety. By refusing to help us find the super-soldiers and other enhanced beings on the Avengers team, you are effectively putting at risk the lives of every man, woman and child of this country."

"Spare me. You know as well as I do that the only reason you want to find Steve or Bar-the Winter soldier is because of your sick research on the serum. I bet the UN actually doesn't give a shit whether you find him or not anymore but you're the one pushing for it." He whispered angrily as he gripped the phone hard in his hand and tried to keep his breathing steady. He'd been trying to make things better with the accords but he hadn't even _considered_ why Ross had jumped on board so quickly. Was that Everett Ross involved too? Was he wrong about everything?

For a long moment General Ross didn't speak, only observed in that critical manner of his. Then he sighed and shook his head like a disappointed father.

"My research on the serum has allowed me to consider the potential it holds against various threats. I have invested years and extortionate amounts of money to further understand the way it works and after many attempts and mistakes, I have progessed significantly. But I have still not yet perfected a matching serum. If I was able to, I would gladly look at a sample of blood from either of the soldiers. Unfortunately-" Suddenly, he was looking furious, as if he'd been personally insulted by the genius in the cell. "Very few seem to understand how important this work is. Decisions take time when it comes to authority. But of course, you wouldn't understand this since you are in fact unaware of anything it seems. I should have sent my own men to contain the Captain, rather than leaving it to you and your armour."

Silence reigned over both men as they stared forward, one looking at the cell, the other staring at the wall. Tony was unsure as to what the man was expecting him to say but only one thought came to mind and he verbalised it.

"Sounds pretty similar to what certain Hydra members were trying to do. And if I recall, they were all villains. You seem to have the anti-hero idea down fairly well."

Ross in response scoffed and gave the closest thing to a smirk, leaving Tony to try and work out what that was even supposed to be.

"Make of it what you will. You always were what others and I deemed, a liability but more worryingly, you are now a threat, concealing the location of Rogers puts you in league with a criminal. But it doesn't matter anymore as you have but two choices. You can either comply and I will release you back at that pathetic empty facility, or you can spend your remaining hours here contemplating the damage you've caused until we administer the final dose."

Steve had been right not to trust the accords. If men like Ross were behind its ideals it was flawed. It must have been. And he'd believed in it because he was so so sure. It was almost as if he didn't even know how to do the right thing anymore. He really was a threat, just not to Ross. More like, a threat to everyone else.

Tony stared at the wall in front of him, face blank, resignition in his voice. He could only try but even he knew how this ended.

"And if I still refuse to make this call?"

"Then I've already told you what I will do to you. But you forget, I have the upper hand." Tony thought he could hear Ross _smile_ for once and what he heard next made his blood run cold.

"I know the location of Laura Barton and Natasha Romanov."

The blank expression shattered and he closed his eyes in pain. He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Clint's family or Natasha.

More lives involved, more choices. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to be in safe company with someone to just stop all of this from happening, he wanted that safety so much, he-

For the first time ever, he regretted becoming Iron man. He wished he'd just died in that cave a long time ago, company and weapons be damned. He'd spent so long trying to keep people safe by making these decisions, why couldn't anyone do the same for him? Why couldn't he be the normal citizen everyone just wanted to protect-just once, couldn't somebody save him?

But this was how it was with him. It always ended like this, one way or another he was the merchant of death and had to make the choice.

Tony turned to Ross slowly but kept his eyes down and held the phone to his ear, pressing call.

 _Ring, ring. Ring, ring._

 _Ring, click._

"Hello? Steve?" He spoke quietly, his heart racing again, silently begging for a fucking miracle.

"..."

"I don't know if you're listening buddy, but if you are..." His eyes met Ross' and his hands shook. Keep it together Stark. "I'm kind of stuck. I need your help. I really need your help."

No answer yet. He took a deep breath.

"Steve?" Tony tried to block out the harsh gaze from the men behind Ross. He swallowed and looked down, his resolve finally breaking.

"Please..." He whispered and clutched the phone with both hands like a lifeline. His heart dropped when the line went dead.

Casting a look at Ross, he held the phone tight and lowered it to his chest.

"I tried."

Ross looked speechless, as if he genuinely could not believe Steve had ignored Tony. He must have been hitting his finals levels of tolerance because he turned to his men and practically barked;

"I'm going to send orders for them to prepare the third dose. Make sure he doesn't try anything."

"Sir, the dose will definitely kill him." One of the men in black spoke, a thick, strong accent coming through.

"I don't care. Do it. Make sure it's done before the end of the day. The world's better off without him."

Tony said nothing and watched Ross walk off and leave the room, the two men standing there staring at him, probably guarding him. Uncaring whether they watched him or not he flopped down on his bed and curled up, hiding his face from the world.

That phone call...

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he knew that he'd meant every word he'd said. He did need Steve, now more than ever. Not just to save him from Ross but also to get him away from these decisions. He didn't know if he could bare to make another mistake that cost someone else. He didn't want to play the hero anymore, he just wanted to finally feel something other than this despair and loneliness.

He didn't want to die like this. He really didn't. Suddenly the realisation of everything was overwhelming and tears flooded his eyes. Tears fell as he thought about how he'd never see Pepper or Rhodey or Happy again. And how he'd never see any of the Avengers and Steve. He was alone and he was going to die alone with no one to care. He didn't make a sound, but continued to just lie there on bed and cry silently, staring at the wall for about ten minutes before he heard a light cough. Scrunching his eyes tight, he tried to block everything out, his position reminding him of the night he finally worked up the courage to call Steve, thanks to Natasha.

But because he'd been scared and didn't want Steve to abandon him and deal with the loneliness he'd screamed at him the next day, maybe desperately hoping Steve would notice and come back for him. But instead he'd pushed Steve away himself and was now more alone than ever.

"Stark."

Uncurling from his small place of peace he sat up and stared, not bothering to hide the tears on his face anymore. One of the guards had moved and was standing by the bars and was pointing at something. Beneath the black mask covering his head it was hard to tell what the guy saw but Tony could only imagine pity. Not that it mattered. He was a dead man anyway.

The phone was on the floor. He must have dropped it after using it. He stood and stepped off the bed and knelt by it, staring at it. He didn't dare touch it, this thing that was the root of all of his problems.

"Stark, you should try again."

He shook his head and crossed his arms to his chest tight, trying to fight the cold. The floor was hard against his knees but staring at the phone was harder. Steve wasn't going to help him. Tony was going to die alone. Strangely it was just the alone part that bugged him. Not even the dying now.

"I can't."

"You can." The other guard with the accent crossed his arms and spoke obviously curious as to what was going on.

It just made Tony want huddle inwards more. Okay maybe he did care about his pride a bit after all.

"Steve can't help me."

His mind flickered to all the possibilities. He didn't want to be alone in this but maybe he could at least pretend he wasn't. Pretend to himself that everything was fine, just for a little while.

He picked up the phone and chose voicemail. Then he pressed down and spoke softly.

"Hey Steve. If you get this, then I want you to know that I'm sorry. Sorry for Ultron, sorry for what I tried to do to James Barnes...Bucky...sorry for this fight...even sorry for what I said when we first met. You are and will always be the best man I ever knew and I'm sorry I put you through this. If you ever forgive me..." He paused. He actually didn't know what to say. He wasn't going to be alive to see that happen if it ever did.

"Actually it's okay. I won't ask for forgiveness. But I want you to forgive the others who stood by me. I made the mistake but the others don't deserve to pay for it. I-if I'm not around, can you please accept Rhodes and Vision back onto your team? Please don't leave them on their own, that is the worst thing-" he couldn't hold back the sob that escaped then but quickly reigned it back in. This wasn't about him. "-you can do to them. Please. Don't. Also. Please save Laura and Natasha. Take them to a safe place, wherever that is. And keep them all protected, don't let anyone feel uns-safe. They need you Steve. I'm sorry, I really tried but I wasn't enough. So save them."

This was hard. He didn't want to do this anymore but he knew he'd regret it if he didn't. He should leave things on a good note, he could tell himself he was friends with Steve and that the man cared enough to fulfil these things for Tony.

"I wish I'd called you earlier. I wish I hadn't left it too late. I'm so sorry. Goodbye Steve." Message saved to be sent at a later date.

For a brief moment no one spoke, not that he expected anything from the guards but he could feel their eyes on him. He supposed it would be okay to talk to them. They would be the last people he'd get to talk to about anything and for all their buff demeanour, they actually seemed sorry for him.

"When I'm gone can you do me a favour?" He didn't need to hear a response to know they were listening.

"If you ever do get the chance, if you ever meet Steve Rogers...can you give him this phone? And if you don't, can you just send that message to the number on this phone? There's only one number..." His voice wavered slightly as he spoke, eventually filtering out. He wasn't used to asking for things like this. He didn't know if this was right...

There was silence but then thick-accent spoke.

"You are truly an honourable man Anthony Stark. Your wishes shall be granted."

He sagged with relief when the other man by the bars held his hand out and Tony stepped forward to drop the phone into his hand.

He whispered a soft 'Thankyou' and walked back to his bed, heart heavy and weight on his shoulders. It was only a matter of time now.

* * *

"Wake up Stark. I want to see you awake for this." Tony opened his eyes and watched with dull eyes as Ross walked into the now completely open cell and gripped him by the collar on his neck, yanking him up.

He pulled him into an upright position and signalled for two scientists and four guards to walk in, two being the ones who were stood outside guarding him earlier. Tony watched dazedly as one of the guards sat behind him and held him back against his chest pinning him down with one hand wrapped around him, the other over his right wrist. He stretched out Tony's arm and held it in position for the scientists to inject him.

The genius did absolutely nothing, the feeling of dizziness, badly affecting him as he'd gone too long without food and water and now his body was close to collapse. Maybe it was stress and exhaustion finally getting to him or those other injections too-probably everything was finally hitting him all at once. That earlier scientist was right, he wouldn't survive this.

 _Good. It's better this way._

Ross stepped back and out of the cell letting the others move around him, the three guards hovering while the scientists grabbed supplies. It was like watching Obie take the Arc reactor only this time, he had no spare.

The scientist stepped closer and knelt beside him, positioning the syringe over his veins and Tony felt the grip around his waist tighten almost painfully and his breath hitched.

Closing his eyes, he let himself go limp in the new guards arms and relaxed murmuring under his breath to the two guards who'd showed him kindness, "Please, give it to him."

The needle pressed into his skin. Then a shot fired and someone screamed.

* * *

Tony's eyes shot open and he stared as the scientist holding the syringe full of serum, fell to the floor, bleeding profusely all over the prestine white ground. At the same time, one guard turned and did something so quick to the other guard, he just dropped to the floor. Tony had blinked and missed it, it was so quick.

The other scientist screamed again and attempted to run but not before the black guard aimed the gun he'd initially fired, to his head. A gun that just seemingly appeared out of nowhere, Tony's mind supplied and the scientist wasn't expecting it either since he flinched back and fell to his knees, hands in the air.

The black guard with the gun tutted and nudged him with his boot towards the bleeding man.

"I suggest you stop the bleeding." Thick accent, powerful and demanding, spoke, nothing like the quieter voice he had before. He stepped next to the guard with the gun and was looking down at the fallen scientist and guard.

The healthy scientist scrambled to his feet and grabbed some bandages that were on a trolley outside the cell. As that happened, the gun pointed at Ross who was standing outside looking shocked and pale.

"Stark will be accompanying us I'm afraid."

Ross held up his hands but glared at the guard who was holding Tony in his arms.

"Do it! Give him the shot! What the hell are you waiting for!?" Tony felt the man around him pull his and Tony's arm in and wrap around his body almost protectively. He might as well be a teddy bear the guy was cuddling. This was way too comfortable right now for Tony to even _want_ to struggle.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I made a promise and Stark belongs to me."

 **No.**

 **No fucking way.**

Suddenly, adrenaline coursed through his veins giving him some amazing, hidden strength and Tony spun sharply, as much as he could in the man's grip to stare at him. It couldn't be...

"Steve!?"

The man in full black said nothing but nodded and for a second Tony thought it was to him but quickly realised it was a signal to the other guard to...pull out silver claws? T'Challa? Then the gun must have meant that was Bucky!

"General Ross. I ask you to stand down or else we will be forced to attack." The disguised black panther commanded, his _Wakandan_ accent coming through. It made so much sense now! The phone, them even talking to him, of course!

Ross said nothing but he heard the click of the gun being positioned. Tony swore he could feel himself smile a real, genuine smile. His mind was fuzzy and everything felt light and he gave in to his desire to sink into his rescuers arms. He turned his head and buried into the firm chest, listening to the steady heartbeat. He was here, he really was! Tony was pretty sure he could feel tears running down his face but he was smiling, he didn't care; he had never felt more happy.

The hands released his wrists and Tony immediately wrapped his arms around Steve's waist and smiled even more when he felt Steve pull him closer. Above him he heard the Captain speak.

"Buck, T'Challa, secure the entrance. I'm taking Tony." In the background someone cried out and Tony briefly wondered if that was Ross. He hoped so.

"Tony. Look at me." Tony pulled away slightly, letting his palms rest on Steve's chest and he looked up slightly to the black mask. He couldn't read any expression obviously but he must have looked pretty terrible since he felt Steve's hands tighten around him.

"I'm not leaving you alone."

Oddly, that made him laugh. Of course he wouldn't. Steve did care. He must care to come here just for him, there wasn't anyone else.

"I'm so happy I can't even tell you." He swayed for a moment, smiling and felt the arms move up to his face, hands cupping his cheeks gently, as if he was important. So important. His eyes slid shut.

"Hey Tony, stay with me okay? Just relax, we'll be home soon." Steve scooped Tony up into his arms and stood up, pushing off the wall. Tony lay his cheek against Steve's chest again and hummed. He wondered faintly if he'd been drugged again, he felt so light.

"I can hear your heartbeat."

The captain was running somewhere and distant screams could be heard. "Yeah? Is that good?"

"...It means you came for me."

The grip on him tightened. "I'll always come for you."

"Was scared you wouldn't."

"You didn't need to be. We were here the whole time."

"Steve?"

"Yes Tony?"

"I missed you Steve."

They stopped moving for a minute. "...I missed you too Tony."


End file.
